Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., Armed Forces’ public affairs office chief, slammed the communists for not keeping their word on the holiday truce. He said the truce from both sides held on, except for the rebel attack in Quezon that left P3 million worth of property destroyed.

“They declared that they will not launch any offensive operations… They said they will respect the SOMO. This means that they don’t keep their word,” said Brawner.

Malacañang ordered last Wednesday a unilateral SOMO against the NPA during the Christmas season. The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) reciprocated and ordered the NPA to implement a SOMO from 12:01 a.m. of December 24 to 11:59 p.m. of December 26 and from 12:01 a.m. of December 31 to 11:59 p.m. of January 1, 2010.

Aside from the celebrations of Christmas and New Year holidays, the CPP said its members and supporters would be able to celebrate the CPP’s 41st founding anniversary on Saturday December 26 with the SOMO.

'Anti-literacy'

Police said that suspected rebels stormed the Doongan Ilaya National High School in Barangay Doongan Ilaya and burned down at least 8 rooms at around 1:00 a.m. Saturday.

The alleged rebels reportedly even hoisted an inverted Philippine flag at the school’s flagpole before escaping. (Read: Suspected rebels torch school building in Quezon)

“We are denouncing that attack by the CPP/NPA. It only goes to show that they are really anti-development, anti-progress because they burned a school, a high school,” added Brawner.

An senior Army officer, meanwhile, questioned the motive of the NPA in torching the school building.

“What will the CPP/NPA/NDF [National Democratic Front] expect from the Filipino nation after torching a school just to celebrate its anniversary?” said Col. Daniel Lucero. Army assistant chief of staff for civil military operations.

Lucero said that with atrocity of the CPP/NPA/NDF, school children in the area are now deprived of “source of knowledge” following the burning of the school.

“The CPP\NPA\NDF should be reminded that lots of youth from Catanauan, Quezon are looking at the Doongan Ilaya National High School - which they burned - as their source of knowledge and eventually free them from the bondage of ignorance and poverty,” said the Army officer.

“The Philippine Army joins the entire nation in reminding the CPP\NPA\NDF that this country cannot move forward with an organization which is anti-literacy, anti-development, and anti-people,” added Lucero.

'Spent force'

Brawner, meanwhile, echoed on Sunday the statements on the communist insurgency made Thursday by Gen. Victor Ibrado, Armed Forces’ Chief of Staff, in a speech at the 74th founding anniversary of the AFP at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. (Read: AFP says NPA strength, areas reduced in 2009)

“They are already a spent force, that’s the word of the Chief of Staff,” said Brawner.

“They are just trying to project strength but actually they are already a spent force,” Brawner also said of the CPP. The NPA is the armed wing of the CPP.

Brawner said the CPP and the NPA can no longer recruit through their ideology. He said surrenderees from the communist ranks said they were lured into joining the movement through promises of hefty salaries.

“They can no longer recruit, their strength is on the downtrend,” said Brawner.

Ibrado told members of media last Thursday that the NPA’s strength has been reduced to below 5,000 as of third quarter of 2009. He said that from a high of 107 guerilla fronts in 2005, the military have decreased them to just 51. CPP guerrilla fronts are areas where the CPP organization has members and NPA units operate aside from the existence of “revolutionary organizations” and legal organizations discretely supportive of the CPP.

“All indicators are now on the downtrend and then they are having difficulty recruiting. They are now luring (potential members) through the monetary way and not through their ideology… We talked to rebel returnees who said that they were promised good life and compensation. So its now monetary. No one is now joining (the CPP and the NPA) because of their belief, their ideology,” added Brawner.

The CPP, in its anniversary statement Saturday however, denied the AFP claims and said that the communist movement still have 120 guerrilla fronts and are targetting to increase the number to 180 and "gain the ability to deploy armed city partisan units in the urban congressional districts."

'Money-making organization'

Lucero, meanwhile, said the communist rebels have evolved into a money-making organization with only their leadership benefitting.

“According to an NPA surrenderee, almost 60% of the P100 million generated by the CPP\NPA\NDF in 2009 through extortion landed in the hands of CPP\NPA\NDF leadership for personal use. Almost all lowly members were not even supported to buy their toiletries and items for personal use,” said Lucero.

Lucero, also citing alleged revelations from rebel surrenderees, said that NPA commanders in Davao to Southern Tagalog “have sent their children to exclusive schools using extorted funds.”

“The practice of democratic centralism (in the communist movement) prevents its members from questioning their leaders where they spend these funds,” added Lucero.

In the coming elections, the CPP and the NPA are expected to again demand "fees” from candidates who would be campaigning in areas where the communist rebels operate. -- ABS-CBN